The Company

24-96 Mastering was founded in 2002 with the aim of providing a dedicated mastering facility in Germany that lives up to the level of excellence of the large international mastering houses.

A special focus was directed to the field of surround mastering. While the market for surround content has grown rapidly over the last few years, the mastering industry has been slow to accommodate the needs that have risen from this development. 24-96 Mastering is the first independent mastering house in Germany to offer full SACD mastering and is at the forefront of technology and expertise in all aspects of surround mastering.

The Founder

Robin Schmidt played the drums from age 9, the guitar from age 12 and started recording 8-track demos at the age of 14. During his youth, he played in big bands and jazz combos, pop and rock bands while recording anyone and anything, ranging from Ukrainian fusion jazz formations via German metal bands to Armenian acoustic folk music groups.

He left school at the age of 18 to take up the job of in-house engineer at Studio22. His work included a wide range of tasks, ranging from recording, mixing and mastering music productions to multimedia production, location recording and studio and venue installation.

Robin then went on to study Sound Technology at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in Liverpool, UK. He developed his passion for mastering here, mastering recordings for most of his fellow students as well as outside local and national clients. Robin received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sound Technology with honours, writing his dissertation on the topic of surround mastering.

After graduation, he continued to work for Studio-22 as well as providing consulting services to sound reinforcement companies before founding 24-96 Mastering in 2002, providing high quality stereo and surround mastering services in Germany.